POWER & WHITE
Power & White are ANDREW
WHITE (fingerstyle guitar, vocals) and BRENDAN POWER (chromatic and diatonic
harmonicas). The two became friends when they were both starting out as
musicians in Auckland, New Zealand. They left to forge successful individual
music careers overseas, Brendan based in the UK, and Andrew in several
countries, most recently Canada. Both highly original self-taught masters of
their respective instruments, the two eventually combined forces for the first
time at the 1999 Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, Scotland. Since then
they have toured in Ireland, Denmark, Germany, England, and Canada.
Born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne,
Andrew moved to New Zealand when he was 16, and quickly gained a reputation as
one of that country’s top acoustic guitarists. In
addition to his stunning instrumental skills, Andrew also wowed audiences with
his moving songs and emotive voice. The beauty of his unique style and
compositions soon attracted notice outside New Zealand: he was signed up by the
US label Narada and recorded the Grammy nominated album Islands, a
collaboration with keyboardist David Arkenstone that sold over 130,000 copies.
Shortly after arriving in Britain he licensed the album Guitarra Celtica
to Scotland’s Linn Records, and released a subsequent album Pray for Rain on
Vertical Records. His
most recent album is Andrew White Live, recorded by CBC radio Canada.
Andrew has toured internationally as a soloist and
supporting superstars such as Irish folk rock group Clannad, The Corrs, Michelle
Shocked, The Indigo Girls, Scottish folk supergroup Capercaillie, Taj Mahal,
guitar soloist Tommy Emmanuel, and many more.
Brendan
took up the harmonica after hearing the legendary Sonny Terry in concert in New
Zealand. He quickly became adept at the blues harp style and expanded his
horizons by learning the chromatic harmonica; the combination of the two types
allows him to play with ease in a wide range of styles, and he became nationally
known in his home country for his live performances and recordings.
Since
Brendan moved to Europe in 1992 he has become respected internationally as a
fresh and innovative voice on the harmonica. He is especially respected in the
Celtic music scene, in which the 1994 release of his album New Irish
Harmonica established his reputation. Its bold new approach virtually
redefined the role of the harmonica in traditional Irish music, and the
album won considerable critical praise: the Irish Times described Power as a "master
player" and the album as "electrifying". Its success
led to numerous guest spots on albums by artists such as Sting, James Galway,
Altan, Mary Black, Paul Young, and many more.
Brendan
has
toured as guest soloist in Japan, China and Russia (including two shows in the
Kremlin!) with the legendary Paul Mauriat Orchestra, played the Royal Festival
Hall as soloist under respected contemporary classical composer Carl Davis, and
from 1996-99 was a featured
soloist in the Riverdance show. He has also played on many BBC TV shows and
Hollywood movie soundtracks, starring the likes of Jackie Chan, Britney Spears
and Madonna.
The duo’s powerful blend of passion and virtuosity have made a big impression on audiences, as witnessed by this review in The Scotsman following a concert in Edinburgh:
"It's surely a sign of all that's best about the folk scene that a performer can be touring the world with Riverdance one year, then going back to basics as half of a duo playing small clubs like this the next. But harmonica star Brendan Power and Andrew White on guitar and vocals create such a brilliant musical synthesis that wider recognition is only a matter of time. Power's prodigious talents first came to many people's attention in his Riverdance role, but still never fail to astound, whether in far-out explorations of his instrument's possibilities, like the slow air of Lament For the 21st Century, its eerie, throbbing notes echoing as if from a long tunnel, or more playful fusion numbers such as Jig Jazz or The Real Blues Reel.
White is more of a newcomer to these parts, having just moved to Scotland from New Zealand, but looks set to join the likes of Tony McManus and Colin Reid among contemporary champions of the acoustic guitar. Whether picking out a dainty traditional melody, tearing into a dirty blues workout, swapping lead and rhythm roles with Power, or artfully backing his tautly-worded songs, his playing is continually embellished with layers of complementing nuance, both harmonic and textural. His singing is reminiscent of Sting at his darkly evocative best, only with a slightly hoarser, dustier edge, while the intense, tight-knit interaction between the two players suggests a true powerhouse partnership in the making." Sue Wilson - The Scotsman
For Bookings in the UK, contact
the Daniel Morris Agency: BrendanPower@daniel-morris.co.uk